KR20050067136A - Electric connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An insulating casing 4 for receiving respective electrical terminals and forming a plurality of cavities having axes parallel to the first direction A in which the connector 2 is engaged with the complementary connector 3; The connector 2 is fitted with the casing 4 to slide in a second direction B perpendicular to the first direction A, and moves in the first direction A when the connector 2 moves in the second direction B. A slide (16) having a first cam engagement member (19) for receiving each second engagement member (2) on said complementary connector (3) to provide a relative engagement movement between 3); Detachable retaining means (42, 43, 45, 47, 31, 32) forming a fully assembled position of said slide (16) relative to said casing (4); Elastic means for generating an elastic load on the complementary connector 3 coupled to the casing 4 and discharging the complementary connector 3 when the slide 16 is not fully engaged with the casing 4. An electrical connector 2 is disclosed that includes 35.

Description

Electric Connector {Electric Connector}

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and in particular, but not exclusively, to electrical joinable to complementary electrical socket connectors to form electrical connection units having various forms of manner used to couple electrical systems to electronic central control units. It relates to a plug connector.

Connection units of the type described above are known and the connectors comprise respective insulated casings which form respective numbers of cavities for receiving male and female electrical terminals, respectively, which are engageable with one another.

This type of connection unit usually includes a lever and a slide coupling device which, once the plug and socket connector are joined, It works to join the connectors together with very little effort.

The engagement device generally includes a slide that fits inside the plug connector casing and slides in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector, and an actuation lever that is hingedly fixed to the same casing and fitted to the slide.

In one very commonly used embodiment, the slide is C-shaped and is formed by an end wall perpendicular to the sliding direction and two side walls extending vertically from each opposite end edge of the end wall, each of the plug connector casings. Slide along the sidewalls of the. Each side wall of the slide has a plurality of cam grooves that are engaged by respective outer pins on the plug connector to create a relative engagement movement between the plug and the socket in the engagement direction as the slide moves in the sliding direction.

The slide is normally held in a pre-assembled position partially inserted inside the plug connector casing, for example by a temporary locking means, which is a removable retaining member, and the casing by rotating the actuating lever from the raised position to the lowered position relative to the hinge axis. It is moved to the full insertion position inside.

The lowered position of the lever and thus the fully inserted position of the slide typically corresponds to the complete engagement of the male and female terminals of the two connectors.

However, if one or more terminals are incorrectly assembled inside the associated casing, the slides and levers can still be pressed into their respective fully inserted and lower positions, for example by breaking or deforming the contacts, in which case the incorrect Unassembled terminals are not detected during testing, for example because the location of these terminals still provides electrical contact, but this can be dangerous. However, if the connector is vibrated, such as in a vehicle, this contact will eventually be broken, resulting in all obvious consequences.

Preferred and non-limiting embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connection unit formed by an electrical plug connector and a complementary electrical socket connector according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the electrical plug connector of Figure 1;

3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional perspective view of the details of the electrical plug connector of FIGS. 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a side view in another operating position of the electrical plug connector of Figures 1 and 2;

5 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the detail of FIG. 3 in the operating position of FIG. 4 of the electrical plug connector according to the present invention.

6 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the detail of FIG. 3 moving to the position of FIG.

7 is an enlarged perspective view of the electrical plug connector of FIG. 1 in another operating position.

8 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the detail of FIG. 3 in the operating position of FIG. 7 of the electrical plug connector according to the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector which is designed to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks generally associated with known connectors and at the same time small, inexpensive and easy to manufacture and assemble.

According to the present invention, there is provided an insulating casing comprising a plurality of cavities having axes parallel to a first direction in which a connector is coupled to a complementary connector while receiving respective electrical terminals; The complementary connector being fitted to the casing to slide in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, thereby creating a relative engagement movement between the connectors in the first direction when the slide moves in the second direction A slide having a first cam engagement member for receiving each second engagement member on the surface; A detachable retaining means in said casing to form a complete assembly position of said slide, and create an elastic load on the complementary connector coupled to said casing, such that said complementary connector in case said slide is not fully engaged with said casing Characterized in that it further comprises an elastic means for discharging.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 generally represents an electrical connection unit for coupling an electric central control unit (not shown) to various states, in particular a vehicle electrical system (not shown).

The unit 1 comprises a first plug connector 2 and a second socket connector 3 (shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 7) which are engageable with one another in the direction A.

The connector 2 according to the invention has an insulated casing made of plastic material, having a shaft parallel to the direction A and forming a plurality of cavities (not shown) for receiving each known female electrical terminal (not shown). 4), wherein the female electrical terminal fits in a known manner inside the cavity and is coupled to an associated known electrical cable (not shown).

The casing 4 has a hollow substantially parallelepiped-shaped body 6 which is fitted into the block 8, which is a generally parallelepiped shape for supporting the female terminal, which forms an end opening for the insertion of the connector 3. ), And the cavity is formed therein.

In particular, the body 6 has two respective front and rear end walls 9, 10 and an opening 7 for receiving the connector 3 perpendicular to the end walls 9, 10 and having an end wall ( It is formed by two side walls 11 forming together with 9, 10.

The casing 4 also includes an outer shell 12 fitted to the body 6 on the opposite side of the opening 7, through which the electrical cable for connection is connected to the female terminal on the block 8 via the outer shell 12. Extends.

As only required for a clear understanding of the present invention, the connector 3 described in the specification can be provided with a number of known male electrical terminals (not shown) that extend parallel to the direction A and are coupled to an associated known electrical cable (not shown). And an insulated casing 13 in the form of a hollow, substantially parallelepiped that accommodates (not shown) and is conveniently formed integrally with the outer casing (not shown) of the electronic central control unit. The casing 13 forms a cavity for accommodating the block 8 of the connector 2, in which each contact of the male terminal protrudes.

The unit 1 also includes a lever-and-slide engaging device 15 for engaging the connectors 2, 3 with a minimum amount of labor.

The coupling device 15 comprises a slide 16, which slides partly into the casing 4 and the casing 4 in the direction B perpendicular to the end walls 9, 10 and the direction A of the body 6. ) Is movable. The slide 6 is generally C-shaped, parallel to the directions A and B, with an end wall 17 perpendicular to the direction B and located outside of the casing 4 opposite the end wall 9 of the body 6. And two side walls 18 extending vertically from each opposing side edge of the end wall 17. The side walls 18 of the slide 16 are fitted through respective side end openings (not shown) in the end wall 9, and block with each opposing side wall 11 of the body 6 of the casing 4. (8) Slide between.

The side wall 18 of the body 6, the block 8, the slide 16 receives a casing 13 of the connector 3 to form a cavity that forms a joining area of the connector 2 to the connector 3. Form.

Each side wall 18 is adapted to the casing 13 with respect to the casing 13 to create an associated mating movement between the connectors 2, 3 in the direction A when the slide 16 moves into the casing 4 in the direction B. FIG. A plurality of cam grooves 19 (three in the example shown (only one is shown in FIG. 1)) interacting with the cylindrical outer pin 20.

In particular, each groove 19 has an inlet 21 for the associated pin 20, which is located adjacent to the opening 7 and extends parallel to the direction A, and the intermediate part inclined with respect to the directions A and B. 22 and an end 23 that forms a stop for the fin 20 and is parallel to the direction B. In FIG. The grooves 19 of each sidewall 18 open towards the other sidewall 18 and are closed by the bottom on opposite sides.

The engagement device 15 comprises an actuation lever 24 which is coupled to the side wall 18 of the slide 16 and hingedly fixed to the casing 4 around the axis C perpendicular to the directions A and B. , The rotation of the lever 24 about the axis C moves the slide 16 in the direction B and between the connectors 2, 3 and in the direction A by means of a pin 20 which engages the groove 19. Produces relative coupling movement between the terminals of (2, 3).

The lever 24 is coupled to the first end 26 hinged outwardly with respect to the shaft C on the opposite side of the shell 12 of the casing 4 by a horizontal member 28. It is formed by two shaped arms 25 having ends 27.

Each end 26 of the axis C is cylindrical and formed on the middle of the end edge of the associated side wall 18 of the slide 16 adjacent the shell 12 and three teeth (all not shown). A sector gear 29 is formed on one side of the extension region of the associated arm 25, which is formed by the three teeth in the example shown while engaging the rack 30 formed by.

To engage the connectors 2, 3, the lever 24 slides in the casing 4, from the raised position (see FIGS. 1 and 2) corresponding to the predetermined retraction of the slide 16 from the casing 4. Slide 16 to a lowered position corresponding to the maximum insertion or complete assembly of the side wall 18 of the 16 and the final mating position of the connectors 2, 3 and fixed to the casing 4 (see FIGS. 4 and 7). Is rotated in a direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 1 and 2) to move the transverse member 28 toward the end wall 17 of the.

In particular, the lowered position of the lever 24 is transverse member 28 onto the detachable retaining member 31 on the opposite side of the shell 12 that extends integrally from the shell 12 to where it is coupled to the body 6. Is fixed by clicking. In particular, the retaining member 31 has an elastically flexible lance projecting from the shell 12 in a direction parallel to the direction B, having a generally triangular tooth on its free end for coupling to the transverse member 28. Is formed by

An important feature of the invention is that each connector 2 is interposed between the end wall 17 of the slide 16 and the end wall 9 of the body 6 of the casing 4 and is planar in the direction B, respectively. There are also two garter springs 35 (only one shown in Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 8) having shafts and hindering the movement of the slide to the fully assembled position inside the casing (4). It is included. That is, when engaged with the connectors 2, 3, the spring 35 creates an elastic load on the connector 3 such that the slide 3 is not fully engaged with the casing 4. To discharge.

In particular, each spring 35 is interposed between the end wall 9 and the end wall 17 of the body 6 of the casing 4 and slides in the side wall of the slide 16 so as to slide in a direction parallel to the direction B. Fastening at opposite ends in respective seating portions 36, 37 (see FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) respectively formed in the stop plate 38 fixed in 18 and in the end wall 17 of the slide 16. do.

In particular, the plate 38 is generally rectangular, with each projection 39 (Figs. 5 and 6) extending in direction B and engaging each rectangular slot 40 formed in the side wall 18 of the slide 16. Only one is shown) on the opposite side. In the absence of an external force, the spring 35 holds the plate 38 in a forward position at a maximum distance from the end wall 17 of the slide 16, in which the protrusion 39 of the plate 38 is casing. It is seated at each end edge of the slot 40 adjacent to (6) and extends parallel to the direction A.

The plate 38 has a central, generally rectangular through opening 41, which protrudes from the respective end walls 17, 9 of the casing 4 and the slide 16 through the through opening and inside the casing 4. Two retaining lances or members 42, 43 which are click fixed to each other extend to form a fully assembled position of the slide 16.

In particular, the retaining member 42 is generally U-shaped, interposed between the inclined free end 44 and the end 44 and the end wall 17 for later purposes and open to the side towards the shell 12. And a recess 45. The retaining member 42 may be elastically bent in a direction parallel to the direction A, and protruding detachably from the recess 45 of the retaining member 42 to form a fully assembled position of the slide 16. The pin 47 is supported on its free end 46 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

As clearly shown in Fig. 3, the pin 47 of the retaining member 43 is located along the path of the retaining member 42 towards the casing 6 in the direction B, so that the slide 16 is in a fully assembled position. When moved to the inclined end portion 44 of the retaining member 42 forms an upwardly inclined surface, whereby the pin 47 of the retaining member 43 is directed towards the cell 12 in the direction A. Slide to flex). As the slide 16 moves inwardly of the casing 4, the retaining members 42, 43 slide against each other, and the pin 47 eventually engages with the recess 45 of the retaining member 42, The retaining member 43 is restored to an undeformed shape.

Along one side of the side edge of the opening 41 opposite the cell 12, the plate 38 forms a right shoulder 48, against which the end 46 of the retaining member 43 slides 16. Is constrained to the deformed shape (see Figure 6) as it moves to the fully assembled position. Thus, in this step, the retaining member 43 acts as a pressure bar opposite the thrust of the spring 35. When the pin 47 engages with the recess 45 of the retaining member 42, and thus the retaining member 43 is restored to an undeformed shape, the retaining member 43 is the shoulder 48 of the plate 38. Separated from.

In the fully assembled position of the slide 16 (see FIG. 5), the plate 38, which is no longer blocked by the retaining member 43, is pressed into the locked position by the spring 35, and the plate 38 is casing It is fitted through retaining members 42, 43 which are located adjacent to the end wall 9 of the body 6 of 4 and are held in stable engagement with each other. That is, the engagement of the retaining members 42, 43 inside the opening 41 of the plate 38 prevents the retaining member 43 from bending in the direction A such that the pin 47 is recessed from the recess 45. Prevent separation.

The plate 38 projects outwardly from the side wall 18 of the slide 16 and moves the plate 38 into a retracted position where the plate fits between the end wall 17 and the recess 45 of the slide 16. Two tabs 49 are provided on the opposite side which are manually operated to move in the opposite direction to the spring 35 and bend the retaining member 43 in the direction A to separate the pin 47 from the recess 45. do.

To assist in the engagement and disengagement of the pins 47 and the recesses 45, side inclined surfaces 50 and guide surfaces 51 are provided on the side opposite end walls 9 of the casing 4, respectively.

The unit 1 assembles the connectors 2 and 3 together in the direction A, so that the pins 20 engage with the guide portions 21 of the respective grooves 19, so that they are in the elevated position of Figs. Rotate the lever 24 to the lowered position of 4.

In particular, when the lever is rotated, the lever 24 moves the slide 16 in the direction B by the sector gear 29 which is engaged with the rack 30, and the intermediate inclined portion 22 of the associated groove 19. The relative sliding motion between the pin and the pin 20 gradually engages the connectors 2 and 3 in the direction A.

3 and 6, when the slide 16 starts moving inwardly of the casing 4, the pins 47 of the retaining member 43 are inclined end 44 of the retaining member 42. And slide in contact with the cell 12 and bend the retaining member 43 towards the edge of the opening 41 in which the shoulder 48 is formed, the curved retaining member 43 of the plate 38. Constrained with its free end 46 relative to the shoulder 48.

As the lever 24 continues to rotate to the lowered position and gradually engages with the slide 16 in the casing 4, the slide 16 slides against the plate 38 and is locked in that position to the retaining member 43. Movement by the spring 35 is prevented so that the spring 35 is compressed between the end wall 17 and the fixed plate 38 of the slide 16 moving toward the casing 4.

In this step, the retaining member 42 slides in the direction B along the pin 47 of the retaining member 43 to move the recess 45 to the pin 47.

At this point, the pin 47 is click-locked with the recess 45 to separate the plate 38, which plate 38 follows the casing 4 along the slot 40 of the side wall 18 of the slide 16. Is pressed by a spring 35 to a locking position adjacent to the end wall 9 of the body 6 (see FIG. 5).

At this time, the connectors 2 and 3 reach the final mating position, and the lever 24 is locked in the lowered position by the horizontal member 28 which is click-fixed onto the teeth 32 of the retaining member 31. .

In this configuration, the side edges of the openings 41 of the plate 38 surround the retaining members 42, 43 so as to prevent any relative movement between them in the direction A so that the pins 47 recess 45. ) To prevent separation.

If the lever 24 is fully rotated to the lowered position to prevent the slide 16 from being fully inserted into the casing 4, the spring 35 expands during the separation of the lever 24 to press the slide 16 outward. And, the pin 20 is coupled with the groove 19 to discharge the connector 3 to be able to immediately detect the problem.

The connectors 2, 3 act on the plate 38 to move the plate to the retracted position adjacent the end wall 17 of the slide 16 in the opposite direction to the spring 35 and first move the lever 24. After detaching from the retaining member 31, it is detached by simultaneously rotating the lever 24 to the lifted position.

In particular, the plate 38 is moved relative to the slide 16 using the tab 49. And once the plate 38 is in the retracted position, the retaining member 43 is bent freely in a direction parallel to the direction A to separate the pin 47 from the recess 45 of the retaining member 42. This is accomplished by simply moving the lever 24 from the lowered position to the elevated position and supported by the inclined surface 50 of the pin 47 that interacts with the guide surface 51 of the recess 45.

The advantages of the connector 2 according to the invention will be clear from the above description.

In particular, when assembling the unit 1, the elastic load exerted on the coupling device 15 and the connector 3 by the spring 35, for example, by lever 24 due to improper assembly of one or more terminals in each cavity. In the event of incomplete movement of the < RTI ID = 0.0 >) < / RTI >

In addition, positioning the spring 35 outside the interaction area between the connectors 2, 3 simplifies assembly and molding of the part so that the other fits inside one.

Finally, placing the spring 35 on the outside of the casing 4, in particular between the casing 4 and the slide 16, restricts the slide 16 from projecting more or less in the area where the electrical cable projects. Reduce the overall size of the connector 2.

It is clear that modifications can be made to the connector 2 as described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.

In particular, the recess 45 and the pin 47 may be associated with the casing 4 and the slide 16, respectively, and the elastically bendable retaining member may extend from the end wall 17 of the slide 16. Can be.

Claims (11)

An insulating casing 4 for receiving respective electrical terminals and forming a plurality of cavities having axes parallel to the first direction A in which the connector 2 is engaged with the complementary connector 3; The connector 2 is fitted with the casing 4 to slide in a second direction B perpendicular to the first direction A, and moves in the first direction A when the connector 2 moves in the second direction B. A slide (16) having a first cam engagement member (19) for receiving each second engagement member (2) on said complementary connector (3) to provide a relative engagement movement between 3); In the electrical connector (2) comprising detachable retaining means (42, 43, 45, 47, 31, 32) forming a fully assembled position of the slide (16) relative to the casing (4), Elastic means for generating an elastic load on the complementary connector 3 coupled to the casing 4 and discharging the complementary connector 3 when the slide 16 is not fully engaged with the casing 4. And an electrical connector (35). 2. Electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the resilient means (35) is interposed between each opposing wall (17, 9) of the slide (16) and the casing (4). The retaining means (42, 43, 45) of claim 2, wherein said detachable retaining means operates when said slide (16) reaches said fully assembled position and is between said slide (16) and said casing (4). Electrical connector, 47). 4. The retaining means according to claim 3, wherein the retaining means comprises pins (47) and at least one seating portion (45) associated with the walls (17, 9) and engaged with each other in the fully assembled position of the slide (16). , At least one of the seating portion 45 and the pin 47 is supported by a pressure member 43 against the thrust of the resilient means 35 when the slide 16 moves to the fully assembled position. Characterized by electrical connectors. 5. The wall (17) according to claim 4, wherein said elastic means is interposed between said walls (17, 9) and is connected to said slide (16) to slide in said second direction (B). At least one elastic member 35 fixed between the ones 17 and varying in length in the second direction B, The pressure member 43 is supported by the other one 9 of the walls 17, 9 and cooperates with the movable member 38 to move the slide 16 to the fully assembled position. An electrical connector, which acts against the thrust of 35). 6. The slide according to claim 5, wherein the pressure member comprises an elastic flexible lance (43) protruding from the other one (9) of the walls (17, 9) in the second direction (B). ) Moves to the fully assembled position, the lance is deformed to cooperate with the movable member 38 to counteract the thrust of the resilient member 35, and is separated from the movable member 38 and the seating portion (45) an electrical connector, characterized in that it is movable between an undeformed shape produced by the engagement of the pin (47). 7. The movable member 38 according to claim 6, wherein in the fully assembled position of the slide 16, the movable member 38 deforms the elastic flexible lance 43 and separates the pin 47 from the seat 45. It is held by the elastic member 35 in a locking position to prevent the, The movable member 38 is movable to a position that allows bending of the elastic flexible lance 43 and detachment of the pin 47 from the seat 45 against the elastic member 35. Electrical connector, characterized in that. 8. The pin (47) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the pin (47) protrudes from the free end (46) of the elastic flexible lance (43). The seating portion projects from the one of the walls 17, 9 in the second direction B and slides with the elastic flexible lance 43 when the slide 16 moves to the fully assembled position. And a recess (45) formed on the other lance (42) having an inclined free end (44) for cooperating in a manner and bending the elastic flexible lance (43). 9. The shoulder (48) of claim 8 wherein the movable member (38) has an opening (41) engageable by the lances (42, 43) and allows the elastic flexible lance (43) to rest on the deformed shape. And a plate parallel to the wall (17, 9) formed along one side of the side edge of the opening (41). 10. The casing (4) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing (4) comprises a hollow body (6) for coupling to the complementary connector (3), The slide 16 is at least partially coupled within the hollow body 6 and slides in the second direction B, The wall is formed by the end wall (17, 9) and the hollow body (6) of each of the slides (16) perpendicular to the second direction (B). 11. The slide (16) according to claim 10, wherein the slide (16) is generally C-shaped and includes two side walls (18), The side wall extends vertically from the end wall 17 of the slide, slides through the end wall 9 of the hollow body 6, has the first cam engagement member 19, and in the second direction. And a respective slot (40) extending to (B) and slidably engaged by each side (39) of the movable member (38).